The meeting commenced with confirmation that Environment Minister John Gormley had sanctioned funding for the new Youghal drainage network and the accompanying wastewater treatment plant. The sums allocated are €8m and €10m respectively. Work on both is due to start later this year.  The news was widely welcomed. By Christy Parker

Votes of Congratulations:

Cllr Mary Linehan Foley congratulated the Youghal Ladies Div3 Badminton team on winning the Cork County League and Cup double. The team members were Marie Mason, Frieda Kearns, Lucy Kearns and Susan Ashman. Cllr Michael Beecher congratulated performers, producers, parents and all involved in the “fabulous” Cinderella show at the Community Hall recently. Mayor Sandra McLennan paid tribute to Amber Walsh, Kate Clerkin and Lan Murphy of Pobalscoil na Trionoide -and their teachers- on winning the Overall award at the recent Millipore Science Competition in Cork. The girl’s 15-minute presentation outlined three ways to pollinate different species of plants using a mechanical pollinator in place of bees.

Town Foreman’s Report:

Cllr Burke asked that the diving board be installed at the Lighthouse Hill. He said signage at the bottom of Cork Hill was turned the wrong way. Other problems to which Cllr Burke drew attention were: potholes at Raheen Road and loose gravel at Nealon’s Quay car park.

Cllr Eoin Coyne was concerned about debris on the beach area near the lifeboat station. He asked that Tesco’s be consulted regarding the broken fence dividing its car park and Gallagher’s Mews. Litter in the vicinity was attracting rats, he added and suggested Tesco’s might install CCTV. The councillor also requested that the fence between Lidl and Millennium Park be repaired as children were accessing the park (and playground) after closing hours. He wondered if a bench now idle at a cordoned overhang at Moll Goggin’s Corner be moved to North Abbey cemetery. Cllr Coyne also said he had been asked whether a voluntary group could clear rubbish from Buttimer’s Dock in similar fashion to Foroige’s beach clean. Town Clerk Liam Ryan said that “all voluntary work is greatly appreciated in the current economic climate” and asked that those interested contact him.

Cllr Beecher said an information sign at the town entrance needed changing from old disc parking reference. The councillor further ordained that a sign at Moll Goggin’s Corner needed facing in appropriate direction, Green Hole beach needed cleaning, hand railings at Chestnut Drive needed urgent attention, as did the steps at John Paul Estate -especially at the church side. He pointed out that the Front Strand toilets be painted before requesting news on the proposed car park for Sarsfield’s Terrace and extra dog fouling bins along Golf Links Road, Town Walls and Strand area.

Cllr Michelle Hennessy said Fr. O’Neill was looking “very green” and needed “a good scrub.” She was referring to the statue in Green Park.

Cork County Council Items:

Cllr Linehan Foley asked if grass cutting at Meadowlands/Summerdale Lawn, which has just been taken over by the county council, was that council’s responsibility or if residents held responsibility. Town manager Patricia Power said usually residents convened and bought a lawn mower or employed a contractor to do it. The councillor said when the town council took over an estate it helped out but whither regarding the county council? Town engineer for Cork County Council, Paul Murray, said he would look into it.

Cllr Linehan Foley said a ‘concealed entrance’ sign on the route from Meadowlands towards Ballyclamsey had been removed and wanted it restored.

She sought news on the road liners for Cork Hill and was told that work there was imminent. The councillor complained that wheelchair entrance on Catherine Street footpath was being compromised by cars parking at access points, meaning wheelchair users accessing Cumann na Daoine often had to negotiate the road for some distance to gain access to the pavement. She wondered if the path could be slanted more generally. The councillor said a structural crack on the Lighthouse Hill was widening and people were concerned, especially as the roadway had collapsed previously, some decades ago. The councillor said the residents of Kilcoran Road residents were very pleased with the road re-surfacing outcome but wished also that the “ancient” hydrants on the road be updated.

Cllr Linehan Foley described the “massive” drop from the steps onto Green Hole beach was “very dangerous.” She had been approached with regard to voluntary work being undertaken to rectify it but had advised that “insurance and doing other people’s jobs” needed also to be considered. The town clerk said he understood the motivation but that “a whole plethora” of factors, such as engineering services, materials, etc was involved. “Unfortunately, local authorities throughout Ireland are now starved of funds and staff” to do such work and though the will is there, it can’t be done as had been previously.

Tallow Street, Redbarn and Tallow Street again

The councillor suggested “a short term solution” to parking on the pavement at Tallow Street. She advocated restoring a pole bearing a ‘no parking sign’ that had been removed when Eircom were installing two boxes. The pole had hindered   and largely prevented cars accessing the footpath. “Someone will be killed there,” she warned. Alternatively, some bollards might have the same affect. She appreciated that a lot more parking fines were being issued meantime. Finally, she sought an update on the fire station situation, saying funding had been granted two years ago, before plans were altered. The town manager said she was meeting the senior architect “next Thursday” on the matter.

Cllr Coyne asked if a gap between the road and the footpath on island View (near St. Coran’s Well), to which he had referred last January, could be mended. The town engineer said he expected it to be repaired in the next couple of months.

Cllr Burke inquired whether Redbarn was to receive Blue Flag status this year. The town manager said it was not expected that An Taisce’s decision would be made public for a few more weeks. Meanwhile that body had not consulted her on whether a lifeguard needed to be deployed in the area to facilitate Blue Flag status.

The councillor referred to “the usual list of broken footpaths” aka Chapel Street, South Main Street ad the junction of South Abbey and Strand Street. Moving quickly over the cracks, he drew attention again to the absence of a ‘concealed entrance’ sign for Summerdale Lawn and understood that the engineer had visited and may soon make a recommendation. He said vegetation was obscuring a speed limit sign at Pobalscoil na Trionoide. Finally, he sought an update on the work due to be conducted at Moll Goggin’s Corner and bemoaned the fact that two outstanding viewing areas at the mouth of the harbour are incapacitated as another tourist season dawns. He requested that the engineer’s report be made available to the councillors.

Cllr Beecher described potholes from the road turning off at Greencloyne for Copperalley to the duration of the Quarry Road as “very bad.” The Knockaverry potholes were no better but he was told that several of these had been filled in the day previous.

The councillor also, stridently, condemned parking on the footpath and on double yellow lines between Cork Hill and North Abbey, labelling it as “very serious.” He warned of cars “driving on the footpath at speed” as traffic negotiated the area and said serious injury or a fatality was imminent between this practice and pedestrians, including those with buggies, being forced to walk on the road. He called for no parking signs to be erected and the matter afforded “top priority.”

Town Engineer Paul Murray said he was awaiting an engineer’s report but meanwhile, with traders in the area some balancing between pedestrians’ interests and unloading necessities was needed. Hw would be advancing the chamber’s concerns to the senior executive engineer, he added. Cllr Beecher said pedestrian safety was the prime concern. Cllr Linehan Foley suggested a loading bay from 9am-4pm be accommodated, with car parking facilitated on that space thereafter.

Town Manager Patricia Power said she too would consult with the senior engineer but meantime she would ask the traffic warden to increase yet further the prevalence of fines. “Three or four €60 fines may make people reconsider,” she advocated adding, “It is not acceptable that vehicles on the footpath make people, whether children, disabled, mothers with buggies or able-bodied walk onto the road,” she stated. “Its not just parking, its dodging cars as they mount the pavement,” reiterated Cllr Linehan Foley.

Cllr Hennessy asked for an update o the Disability Audit on Phase 1 of the  proposed project. Mr Murray said reduced staff levels were a hindrance but the work was ongoing nonetheless and he’d have news in due course. The councillor appreciated some road signing had been deployed at Gaelscoil but she wondered if the town’s zebra crossings be re-painted. Mr. Murray said they would be.

Mayor McLellan asked that a yellow box by Fitzgerald’s Terrace be considered.

Mayor’s Business:

The mayor said loan repayments on the swimming pool had come in at under €budge by 8,000 last year. She sought and was given permission to transfer the money tot Claycastle Leisure Centre for repair and replacement of the steam room.

Secondly, she brought to the attention of the council that a petition had been formally received from residents in the North Abbey area regarding underage drinking and anti-social behaviour the environs. The petition proposed such measures as lighting, securing of boundary fences and tree pruning which, she noted, had also been discussed at the previous meeting.

There were three tenders for refurbishment work at 100 Blackwater Heights. They were supplied by, Glounthaune Property Development Ltd., Moroney Construction Ltd and MMD Construction Cork Ltd. No prices were given under new rules defining procedure.

The council approved a donation of €200 from its contingency fund for

Marcella O’ Riordan in regard to a window display of artefacts to be conducted in conjunction with a forthcoming Youghal Carpets photographic exhibition and titled ‘End of an Era of Carpet Making in Youghal.

There was some discussion of an e-mail forwarded by Cllr Donie Daly in which he stated he would be unable to represent the council at the annual meeting, as agreed last June. The meeting, which takes place on May 27th , in the Burlington hotel, Dublin, demands a statutory attendance over each of five years. It was agreed that Cllr Linehan Foley would deputise for the forthcoming event but she was adamant she would not attend subsequent meetings.

Draft Casual Bye Laws 2010:

Several amendments to a rather detailed document were proposed and accepted. The Town Clerk will return the amended document at a subsequent meeting for ratification. Some analysis will follow in a future addition of the Youghal News.

However it can already be revealed that fish gutting will not be allowed at public events due to the likely prevalence of unsavoury odorous and attendant health risks and inconveniences.

Correspondence:

Referring to Cluid Social & Affordable Housing priorities for 2010, Cllr Barbara Murray strongly condemned the standard and maintenance of the housing association’s development in Kenny’s Lane. She lambasted its proposal to address defects and improve installation through training courses on efficient use of energy as “a joke.” The councillor said she couldn’t believe “that an organisation like Cluid could install the most inefficient heating system to a marginalised sector with predominantly low incomes.” She said there were prevalent cases of inefficient insulation and even no insulation at all in Kenny’s Lane Residents were having to use storage heaters and bills were being ‘crucified’ by heating bills exceeding €400. She believed Cluid should place proper heating systems –such as gas tanks, as work well in other developments- amongst their priorities for 2010.

Cllr Murray said the council should write to Cluid informing them of their deficiencies in installing “appalling” heating systems and recommending they rectify it. She would certainly not like to see them building any more houses in Youghal.”

Mayor McLellan concurred with the councillor’s sentiments, also citing reports of non-insulation and crumbling fireplaces, before Cllr Murray also condemned Cluid’s house designs and the fact that “they operate without a green area in this day and age.”

Any Other Business:

At the bequest of Cllr Linehan Foley, the chamber viewed a DVD from Team Youghal, the marathon cycling side that will again participate in the (second) gruelling Round Ireland (1,350 miles) World Cup Cycling event later this year.  The team is fundraising for the Emer Casey Foundation on the back of the event but also promoting Youghal through its nationally-circulated promotional DVD. The councillors were highly impressed by the stunning vistas of beach, heritage views that included the town walls and Clock Gate and not least by cyclists surviving an ascent on Windmill Hill!

One unfortunate aspect of the viewing was the failure of the council’s chamber’s equipment, apparently, to facilitate the accompanying soundtrack. A second unfortunate occurrence was that there remains no ready cash on the council’s contingency coffers to allocate a donation. Reminding that all organisations are best served by registering funding applications around budget time, the town clerk said he would nevertheless investigate if a solution could be found to allow a contribution for 2010. (See www.teamyoughal.com for details of this year’s challenge)

e-mails

The meeting concluded with a discussion on how to reduce drastically the volume of paper communications issued to councillors. Cllr Michael Beecher initiated the discussion, vigorously criticising the ‘wasteful’ practice supplying printed matter on so many issues. There is damage to the environment as well as the cost costs of printing and even delivering it to us,” he argued, “There must be a more efficient way.

The town clerk said he had advocated increased usage of e-mail some years ago to know effect. However, there was now consensus that telecommunications technology be employed and his proposal that the council work towards commencing a new approach from the budget month of January 2011 was accepted. ‘If it means allocating laptops to some members we can recoup the outlay through savings on paper,’ he concluded.